Sugar And Spice (Holidays: Valentine)

by Charlotte French

  “There’s no electricity yet,” Quinn said, watching her from the doorway, his hands shoved in his pockets. “But if you want to take a look at the kitchen, I have a feeling you’ll like it.”

  Without a word, she ran to the kitchen and slid to a stop. The kitchen was huge and spacious with gleaming stainless steel counter tops and a gigantic oven, exactly like the one she had clipped out of magazines and pasted a thousand times over in her scrapbook. She never had this much space to work with in her life.

  “What do you think?” Quinn asked.

  For nearly a full minute, Crissy didn’t say anything. Then she sucked in a small, strangled breath.

  “It’s perfect,” she said. “Is this…really real?”

  He nodded. “It’s real, sweetheart. After all you’ve been through, you deserve this. I wish I could have had it done in time to show you the finished product but…”

  “It doesn’t matter,” she said, smoothing her hands over the counters. “I still love it. Every bit of it.”

  “Are you sure?”

  She cast a sideways glance at him, confused.

  “You haven’t looked in the oven yet,” he said.

  She studied him for a moment then darted to the oven and yanked it open.

  Her breath caught in her throat and she couldn’t pull in another. On the top rack of the oven was a tiny black box. A roaring rush started in her ears and she couldn’t hear anything going on around her as she reached inside, pulled the box out and flipped it open.

  Crissy’s head snapped up to Quinn. He smiled, slow and gentle, and spread his hands.

  “I had everything planned out to the tiniest detail,” he said. “But you were so wrecked this past week and I just…I wanted to see you smile. I wanted you to know that when I went to work again…I wanted you to know that you weren’t alone. Ever. I will always come back to you.”

  Crissy’s throat tightened and she bit her lip, staring down at that tiny ring in that tiny box in the palm of her hand. When she made no reply, Quinn hesitated then took a step towards her.

  “Sweetheart, if you don’t…”

  But she was already running to him and wrapped her arms around his neck.

  “Yes,” she said. “I don’t have to think about it. I already know my answer.”

  Quinn cupped her face in his hands, pressing his forehead to hers with a chuckle.

  “I haven’t even asked you yet,” he said.

  She laughed, breathless with excitement and tears all at once.

  “Then ask me,” she said, bouncing on her toes impatiently.

  Quinn trailed his thumb along her cheekbone and slid his hand around her waist.

  “Will you marry me?” he whispered, brushing his nose against hers.

  She smiled and curled her fingers around the back of his neck to pull him closer.

  “Yes,” she whispered against his lips. “A thousand times, yes.”

  ***

  Crissy never wanted to leave this moment. She sat on the floor of her brand new, massive, half-finished kitchen with Quinn. She draped her legs over his lap and rested her chin on his shoulder, her fingers interlaced with his. Every now and then, he tipped his head towards her to steal a light, sweet kiss and she thought she would never stop smiling.

  But the sun was setting and long shadows were stretching across the kitchen floor. At some point, she would have to move and this precious bubble of a moment would be gone. But not yet. Maybe just a few more minutes…

  Quinn nuzzled against her ear and pressed a kiss to the curve of her neck.

  “There’s still one more thing left for you,” he said.

  She leaned into him and inched impossibly closer.

  “I don’t need anything else,” she said.

  He laughed softly. “That’s very sweet of you but I think you’ll be interested in this part too.”

  She pulled back to look at him and opened her mouth to ask what he meant when a familiar voice floated into the kitchen from the front door. A slow, sly smile spread across Quinn’s lips.

  “Sugar!” Amy called. “Get out of that kitchen, I need a hug.”

  “We both agreed,” Quinn said, “that she needed to cut her trip a little short to be here when you found out about this place.”

  Crissy didn’t think it was possible but her smile grew even more and she kissed Quinn, fast and light, before she ran from the kitchen. Amy swept her into a bruising, crushing hug that nearly sent them both toppling to the floor.

  Then Amy broke apart and grabbed Crissy’s hand.

  “Let me see, let me see, let me see,” she said, admiring Crissy’s ring.

  “You knew?” Crissy said.

  Amy shot her a withering look. “Of course I knew. I wheedled it out of him.”

  “Don’t worry, sweetheart,” Quinn said as he came up beside her and placed his hand at the small of her back. “She only mildly threatened me with a rolling pin this time.”

  “You didn’t,” Crissy said, eyeing Amy.

  “No I didn’t. But I might have used other methods of persuasion at my disposal. Besides. I totally saw it coming a mile away so I just pestered him until he gave in.”

  “Well I didn’t see it coming. How did you possibly keep it a secret for so long? Any of this?”

  Amy feigned a look of shock. “You doubt my abilities to keep a secret?”

  Now it was Crissy’s turn to give Amy a withering look. “Two secrets this big? Yes, I doubt your abilities a teeny tiny bit.”

  “Yeah, okay, fine. I almost spilled the beans once or twice.”

  “Three times,” Quinn put in.

  “But I didn’t,” Amy said, tipping her chin up. “That’s the point. And thank god I don’t have to anymore. Now take me to the kitchen, sugar. I want to hear what you have in mind when we get real food in here.”

  Amy swept Crissy off to the kitchen and they traded ideas back and forth, what utensils would go in which cabinets, giddy with the possibilities that lay before them. Crissy couldn’t stop running her hands over the counters, touching the stove, rolling open drawers, constantly reassuring herself that this was actually happening. She had finally become used to the idea that she wasn’t going to achieve this dream for another ten years, at least, maybe more if there were any other massive setbacks. But now she didn’t even need to wait ten minutes because she was finally standing in the kitchen of her dreams.

  “Crissy.”

  She turned at the sound of Quinn’s voice and her breath hitched in her throat. He held up his phone then tucked it in his pocket with an apologetic look.

  “Fire chief just called,” he said quietly.

  He held his hand out to her and she crossed the room, clasping his fingers tight against the concern beginning to take root in her chest.

  “What is it?” she said. “What’s wrong?”

  “There’s a wild fire in the mountains,” he said. “They need extra man power to control the blaze before it spreads and reaches here.”

  He pulled her a little closer and wrapped an arm around her shoulders, pressing a kiss to the top of her head.

  “Please, please, please understand,” he said, “that I really do not want to go, especially right now.”

  “I do understand and I don’t want you to go either. But you have to. I get that.” She slid her arms around him, burying her face in his shoulder.

  “Stay with Amy for a little while, okay?” he said.

  “I can manage on my own for a few days. I’m a big girl.”

  “I know but it would make me feel better. Not sure how big this blaze is but if we can’t control it, it would take a load off my mind if I knew you were with Amy.”

  She nodded and her fingertips tightened against him. She ached to let him go. She wanted to keep him all to herself for a little while longer and plan their future together…but she couldn’t keep him, not when others needed his help.

  “Go,” she said, forcing herself to pull away. “Just…be careful?”
>
  He nodded and placed his hand against her cheek as he kissed her, slow and lingering and soft.

  “I’ll be back as soon as I can, sweetheart, I promise,” he said. “The minute this is over, I’m all yours.”

  He headed for the door then backtracked to kiss her one last time before he gritted his teeth and pushed out the door.

  Amy tiptoed next to Crissy and slipped her arm through Crissy’s elbow.

  “He’ll be fine,” she said. “He’ll come back and you can get to work on those twelve screaming, chubby kids you’re going to have together.”

  Crissy laughed a little despite the worry clenched in her stomach and she rested her head against Amy’s shoulder.

  Amy poked her in the side. “Now how about those chocolate covered strawberries?”

  “I haven’t made them yet. I thought I had a few days left. But I do have some leftover beignets.”

  “With that chocolate dipping sauce you make?”

  Crissy nodded.

  “Then what the hell are we doing standing here? There’s fried food waiting for me and I’m hungry.”

  Crissy glanced over her shoulder at her new kitchen and trailed her fingers over the counter top as she let Amy pull her from the room.

  CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO

  For three days, the wild fire sat at the back of Crissy’s mind. She tried not to think about it but late at night, when everything was quiet and her thoughts finally caught up to her, swirling on the ceiling above her, she couldn’t escape the concern itching at her skin. Quinn had called every single day to reassure her that he was fine but the fire was bigger than he thought and it was taking every bit of manpower they had to keep it contained.

  Crissy spent most of her days at the new shop, helping out where she could but half the time she wasn’t needed and she simply sat in the kitchen. She had moved a few things in already, containers of sugar and flour, a cutting board, a dozen baking sheets. The power had finally been turned on and she was very, very tempted to test out her new kitchen…

  Then Amy burst in and started talking a mile a minute.

  “I’ve decided to take notes,” she said.

  “On what?”

  “Pregnancy.”

  “I really don’t want to know how many times you puke in a day.”

  Amy huffed and waved her off. “I’m past that. Now I have to pee a thousand times a day because this little monster keeps tap dancing on my bladder.”

  “I really don’t want to know that either but I guess I don’t have a choice now.”

  “I’m calling it research,” Amy said, easing herself to the floor of the kitchen, her back to the wall. She was already impossibly round in the middle and she still had three and a half months to go. It would be a miracle if she could move at all by the time nine months had passed.

  “For…?” Crissy asked.

  “You!”

  “Me? I’m not pregnant. Thank goodness.”

  Amy rolled her eyes. “Quinn loves kids. You love kids. It’s not hard to work the math here, sugar. It’s only a matter of time.”

  “I haven’t even talked to Quinn about this yet. And I’ve been engaged for all of…” She paused, counting in her head. “Not even seventy-two hours yet.”

  “Your point?”

  “It’s going to be a little while before we have kids.”

  Amy hummed. “Okay.”

  Crissy shook her head. “That’s not good.”

  “What? I’m agreeing with you.”

  She shot a teasing look in Amy’s direction. “Exactly.”

  Amy opened her mouth to protest when footsteps cut her off and a light knock came at the entrance of the kitchen. Amy’s eyes widened and Crissy turned.

  Andrea stood in the doorway. Her blonde hair, usually swept up and pulled back tight and crisp, hung loose and soft around her face. And she was wearing sweats and a t-shirt. Crissy couldn’t remember the last time she had ever seen Andrea wearing sweats and a t-shirt. It was always business, always about making a good impression, all the time.

  Andrea held up her hand. “Before you say anything,” she said. “I’ve been trying to call you because I wanted to give you space. I know…this can’t have been easy for you, these past few days. But I really needed to talk to you so I thought I’d tell you in person. If you listen. But if you want me to leave, I’ll…I’ll do that.”

  “To be honest,” Crissy said, “that depends on what you have to say to me.”

  “I owe you an apology.”

  Crissy raised her eyebrows. “I’m listening.”

  “I…have not been a kind person to you or a good sister. And I am very, very sorry for that.”

  “I am too.”

  Andrea ducked her head and studied her hands for a moment before she looked up again.

  “I’m leaving Denver,” she said. “Leaving Colorado entirely actually.”

  “Where will you go?”

  “California. I’m starting over. I’ve always loved planning weddings and I…I’m going to start my own wedding planning business. Kenneth has agreed to help me. He’s been…” She laughed a little and shook her head. “He’s been over the moon, ever since I told him. I never thought he’d be so happy to leave the law firm but…”

  She trailed off with a shrug.

  Crissy hesitated before asking the next question but she plowed on anyway.

  “Is Mom coming with you?”

  Andrea met her gaze steadily. “No. After she went off on you at the wedding, I told her I couldn’t be around her anymore until both of us got professional help.”

  “You what?” Crissy and Amy said together.

  Andrea spread her hands. “Mom wasn’t always this unhappy, Crissy. After you were born and Dad walked out, she was so, so heartbroken. I was only five years old at the time but I remember how she cried herself to sleep for weeks. She lost too much weight because she stopped eating. And then she just…snapped back too far in the opposite direction. She was so hard on herself and that…trickled down to you and me.”

  “You were her golden child though,” Crissy pointed out.

  “And you have no idea how much I hated it.”

  “You didn’t look like you hated it.”

  “Because whenever I stood up to her, even the slightest bit, she would rip me to shreds and tell me I was a horrible, selfish human being.”

  Crissy frowned, confused. “Why have you never mentioned this before?”

  Andrea shrugged. “I thought as long as I made her happy, I was being a good daughter. Only I never realized how unhappy it made me, trying to please her all the time. It feels like I’ve been walking on eggshells my entire life.”

  Crissy paused for a moment, considering all that Andrea had told her. A small part of her had always felt bad for Andrea, watching her sister mimic her mother in everything she did. She didn’t have the freedom to do what she wanted, to discover herself.

  Andrea sighed. “So that’s why I’m moving. To get distance. To start my own life away from Mother.”

  “How did the wedding go? After…you know.”

  Andrea blew out a breath and closed her eyes. “An utter nightmare. Mother was beside herself, she was so mad. And then I told her she had to leave because of the way she treated you and she was hysterical. So…Kenneth and I eloped.”

  “After all that planning? You eloped?”

  Andrea nodded. Then she hitched up a shoulder, suddenly looking slightly unsure of herself. She reached into her back pocket and pulled out her phone, turned it on, and slid it across the counter.

  Crissy picked it up to see a picture of Andrea and Kenneth, hands clasped and foreheads bowed together, smiling from ear to ear, as they stood in a tiny little chapel. Andrea wore a simple, modest yellow sundress and Kenneth was in jeans.

  “We didn’t have any family there,” Andrea said. “No friends. Just us. And I think…I preferred it that way.”

  Crissy smiled and held the phone up. “Do you have any more picture
s? I’d like to see them.”

  Andrea visibly relaxed and her eyes brightened. “Dozens. Kenneth was unbelievably happy and neither one of us would stop taking pictures.”

  She took her phone back and started flipping through pictures then paused.

  “Actually,” she said. “I was wondering…I heard about this place, your new bakery and I thought…maybe you could recommend something to eat?”

  Crissy blinked, startled. “You mean…something I’ve made?”

  Andrea nodded. “With the move to California going on, I kind of skipped breakfast and I’m starving. And I’ve never had anything you’ve made before. When I realized that, I knew I needed to fix it.”

  “Well I don’t have everything set up yet but I can see what I can do,” Crissy said.

  “No, I mean, if it’s too much trouble…”

  Crissy reached out and placed a hand on Andrea’s arm. “I’d be happy to. Do you have any preferences?”

  “As long as it has chocolate, I’ll try anything. Mother always made me feel so guilty for eating chocolate until I stopped eating it altogether. She told me it would make me fat and no one would love me after that and I believed her, god only knows why. So I consoled myself with dreaming about it instead which wasn’t nearly as satisfying, by the way.”

  A small giggle bubbled up in Crissy’s chest before she could stop it and she clamped a hand over her mouth. Andrea glanced up and let out a tiny laugh as well.

  “And here I thought you were superhuman like Mom,” Crissy said. “You’re about as normal as the rest of us.”

  ***

  Andrea stayed for several hours, sharing pictures of her wedding and asking questions about what Crissy had in mind for the shop, when opening day was and if she had extra help yet. Amy was still the slightest bit wary but once Crissy presented fresh hot eclairs dripping with melted chocolate, the little animosity remaining quickly vanished.

  For a moment, just a split second, as Crissy watched Andrea lick her fingers clean of melted chocolate, a warm yet painful ache settled in her chest. This is what she had been missing for so many years, what she’d been trying so hard to create between the two of them. But it wasn’t her efforts that had brought them to this understanding. Things had to fall apart first in order to be pieced back together again.